In 2000, the Muncie Sanitary District commissioned FLR to do a White River Bank Erosion Study to identify key bank failures resulting from flood events. The White River Bank Erosion Study identified and evaluated the severity of the damaged areas using an analysis of bank instability and concurrently prioritized repair.

In significantly stressed areas, erosion has been documented at 2,200 cubic yards (or $55,000 dollars worth of soil replacement) in a 10 year period. This has resulted in a 43% loss of trees in the bank due to erosion.

Many of the high priority sites were in-turn reconstructed with FLR oversight using a bioengineering approach. This approach included the reconstruction of the levee toe in many areas utilizing a combination of rip-rap, geotextiles, and native vegetation.

Although having a ‘complete ecosystem’ (floor, understory, canopy) is the ultimate objective of any vegetative management strategy for bank stabilization, the native grasses (the method employed on the levee toes) have been documented to show great improvements to bank stability when compared to turf grass.

Since 2005, FLR has been contracted to manage these natural areas through biannual spot chemical sprays.